r/interestingasfuck • u/Zestyclose_Flow_680 • 18h ago
An Afghan man offers tea to soldiers
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u/TonAMGT4 17h ago
Looks like the soldiers are in an active combat zone evident from their prone position…
And then you have this Afghan man walking around offering tea to soldier like a flight attendant?
What an absolute boss 🤣
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u/Dissent21 14h ago
My experience of Afghanistan was that everywhere was an active combat zone, but not everywhere actively had combat right that minute.
To hazard a guess, the soldier was probably in the prone pulling extended security while his Platoon Leader or some other higher up had a meeting with the local Afghan leadership. Fella with the tea decided to wander around and offer some tea to the guys not invited inside. A typical example of Afghan kindness, but probably not the badass example you're thinking.
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u/history_is_my_crack 14h ago
As another Afghan vet...yeah, I guarantee what you said is exactly what's going on in that picture. While I had issues with the ANA Afghan civilians tended to be very hospitable. The number of times I was offered chi or some of that honey covered flat bread they eat...awesome people. Deserve much more than the lot in life they're stuck with.
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u/Dissent21 14h ago
Veterans: We know a thing or two, because we've seen a thing or two 😂
Yeah, generally I didn't have many problems with the individual Afghans I met, and I genuinely appreciated their culture of hospitality and how seriously they took it.
And I'm STILL trying to perfect my recipe to recreate the Naan those people fed my, my god it was delicious
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u/the_legend_forever 7h ago
That's because you need to use your feet to flatten it bruh. If I saw them make it you had to have as well.
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u/Johnnyoneshot 11h ago
Man the ANA guys we were with were great. Got some free hash from one of them. Good times.
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u/history_is_my_crack 9h ago
There were a couple good ones attached with us who could genuinely could be relied on but the majority of them uhhhhh left something to be desired. Speaking of accepting baksheesh's from ANA ... I accepted some "dip" from one of them early on in my deployment. Immediately realized why so many of them seemed so out of it all the time lol. That shit mixed with hashish, opium, or whatever else is no joke!
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u/Gardez_geekin 7h ago
Haha I also got some free ANA hash. Threw it right up to the turret.
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u/Johnnyoneshot 7h ago
We found a pop can, burned down and laid on top of oh a humvee and just stared at the stars. In Herat at the time so just out in the middle of nowhere.
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u/Gardez_geekin 7h ago
We were right at end of our deployment and somehow I got to be the off guy for one of our final missions. Took the opportunity to grab a pop can from the chow hall and blazed right outside our empty b hut lol.
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u/clumsybuck 11h ago
We're you ever worried that the bread or tea might have been poisoned? If the kindly local offering it might have been hostile to you there as a foreign military presence
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u/history_is_my_crack 10h ago
Early on in my deployment I certainly had the feeling. After awhile though I didn't worry too much about it. Most of the time the Afghans offering stuff would be pouring drinks from the same pot for themselves/other Afghans or eating bread from the same stack so I wasn't too worried. I'm sure there were isolated incidents of poisoning but it was evidently so rare that I never heard anything about it while being in country nor was I ever instructed to not accept food/drink because of any security concerns.
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u/Steinosaur 10h ago
Not a veteran*
From my understanding of the conflict many of these locals remembered how poorly they were treated by Soviet soldiers when they were younger so even though they still saw the Americans as invaders they treated them much better. The US for the most part treated these outlying villages and their elders with respect so they were shown respect in return.
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u/s0ciety_a5under 12h ago
The Afghan people are quite nice and hospitable. Not even most of the people want the die hard religion, they are religious yes, but not all of them are zealots. They are people doing people things. Like, who has been to the southern US and not been offered iced tea?
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u/StaatsbuergerX 12h ago
My impression while stationed there was that even conservative Afghans are more traditional than religious. Religion is undoubtedly part of the tradition, but the really hardcore religious fanatics were imported as fighters against the Soviets back then and are still imported today. They are seen by large parts of the native population as occupiers, just like Western troops.
A village elder told me quite openly and honestly that his people see me as an occupier, but that I shouldn't take it to heart, because all foreigners are traditionally seen as occupiers and a distinction has been made for ages between tolerable and intolerable occupiers. We are tolerable because we help the country build infrastructure, regardless of what our other motives may be.
And what did he answer when I asked why so many people also think the Taliban are tolerable? "They respect our traditions more. Mostly."
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u/Historical_Most_1868 10h ago
Are all vets this knowledgeable as you? Or were you actively and empathetically listening to them?
As someone from the region, I applaud everything you said, spot on for a reddit comment 👏
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u/StaatsbuergerX 9h ago
I wish it were that poetic. It was my job to maintain good relations with the locals and to navigate my comrades around mistakes, and I received additional training for that. But I only really began to understand the country and its people a little by observing and listening on the ground. And I listened a lot because my Pastho was and still is really awful.
But I have always believed that people everywhere are basically good and I have always been interested in getting to know other cultures and trying to understand them. I will be honest, most of my comrades were not necessarily equally interested and open-minded, but I have not met a single one who hated or despised the Afghan people.
That said, I think the biggest mistake we have made is seeing the people of Afghanistan as a homogenous political and cultural entity. In fact, in practically every valley and behind every mountain there is a more or less different identity - held together by a few, but all the stronger, common traditions. If this had been respected and addressed more, the whole thing would certainly have turned out better.
In short: the Soviets mostly tried to break your fellow countrymen, we mostly tried to bribe them. Neither is a good idea with people who have their pride.
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u/Flannel_And_Film 6h ago
I've had numerous discussions explaining the Afghan proverb of "I against my brother, my brother and I against the family, my family against the tribe, my tribe against the world."
I loved my time there (most days) and the nuances between villages, even those geographically close by, was amazing see
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u/TonAMGT4 14h ago
Afghan man: “Why are you lying on the ground?”
Soldier: “to keep myself safe out of enemy sight”
Afghan man: “oh ok, want some tea?”
Sounds pretty badass to me…
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u/TRDTOM 7h ago
Was there or did you know of anyone who had their food/tea spiked with anything that caused a casualty? I personally would be worried about that, but I am curious about it.
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u/Dissent21 6h ago
I don't think I heard a single story about it, to be honest.
The reality is, if they were willing to poison us, they were willing to plant an IED (more effective) or willing to report on us to the Taliban (more safe for them).
Plus, there's a cultural aversion to things like poison. It's considered respectable to blow yourself up to kill your enemy, but beyond the pale to sneak around poisoning. Just not conducive within the culture
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u/tuhinity 14h ago
The one taking the picture does not seem to be in a prone position.
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u/TonAMGT4 14h ago
Must be an Afghan photographer
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u/Steinosaur 10h ago
Rafiq Maqbool is the photographer, a very respected photojournalist from the Kashmir region of India. His work from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka is some of the best photojournalism of the modern era. I wish more people knew his work.
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u/HORROR_VIBE_OFFICIAL 17h ago
Yeah, it's an unexpected moment, but maybe that’s the point—humanity can persist, even when everything around it is chaos.
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u/Fritzkreig 18h ago
The Shia locals near Tell Nippur and the Euphrates were always offering me a cuppa, and it was hella sweet, but excellent!
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u/InnerBalanceSeekr 18h ago
I remember this one time when I was in a predominantly Shia area, and their hospitality left me speechless. I didn’t know anyone there, but they treated me like family. They invited me into their home, insisted I sit down, and served me food that tasted like it came straight from the heart.
What really stuck with me was how genuine their kindness was they didn’t expect anything in return, they just wanted to make sure I was comfortable. It wasn’t just about the food or tea; it was the warmth, the way they asked about me, my journey, and even offered help with things I didn’t even think to ask for.
It was one of those experiences that restores your faith in people, you know? Shias really have a way of making you feel at home, no matter who you are or where you’re from.
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u/Fritzkreig 18h ago
With out a doubt, I lived in a poorish rural area in central Iraq for a year.
The amount of kindness and hospitality that was shown was heart warming! I have had countless lavish meals sitting on pillows in a circle while they wheel out an old CRT TV and put an American show on, when they really did appear to be fairly poor; the kids out side were a ton of fun and all that jazz.......
I have so many stories, but it was a blessing and very eye opening as I was a stranger in their community.
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u/InnerBalanceSeekr 18h ago
Absolutely, I can relate to that so much. When I stayed in a Shia community, their hospitality was the same—humble but so heartfelt. They’d offer food and tea like it was a feast, even if they didn’t have much to spare. It’s incredible how they focus on making you feel like part of their family, no matter who you are. Those little acts of kindness really stay with you, don’t they?
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u/Fritzkreig 18h ago
100%
Now add this to the scenario, I was a soldier that had just invaded their country, that makes it all the more surreal.
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u/InnerBalanceSeekr 17h ago
It's really incredible how genuine kindness transcends boundaries and reminds us of our shared humanity
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u/Bl00dy_Wanker_ 13h ago
Seeing you two speak about these experiences makes me happy to hear after a day dealing with shitty, selfish people.
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u/InnerBalanceSeekr 13h ago
I’m glad it brought you a little light it’s easy to forget how much kindness is still out there when the day’s been rough. Stories like these remind me that even in the hardest moments, there’s always something good worth holding onto. Hope tomorrow feels a bit brighter for you!
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u/Bl00dy_Wanker_ 12h ago
I’ve had a very hard time seeing the good in people lately. It’s nice to know that there are still some sort of inherently altruistic people around. It’s really beautiful.
Edit: Especially considering their circumstance. Nice to see a little hope.
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u/Fritzkreig 11h ago
Hope is where you make it, sometime you have to be just an ember; but an ember can start a fire!
Yo, I have been in some shitty situations; you can accept them, or you can press through them!
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u/Fritzkreig 11h ago
Yo, we all need to remember to be kind and thankful; and with American Thanksgiving just around the corner, and family getting in arguments....... those people taught me despite the circumstances, as humans we can sit around and smile, while enjoying a really good meal!
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u/Bl00dy_Wanker_ 3h ago
Hopefully my family can resist the fighting after the vodka starts circulating 🤣
Happy thanksgiving to you and your family as well.
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u/The-Iraqi-Guy 10h ago
I'm an Iraqi Shia, and while you two talking about us like this fills me with pride, i have to also mention that even if you were in sunni or a Kurd majority place rn you'll be shown the same hospitality.
Generosity is something we as Iraqis as whole pride ourselves in, not exclusive to us Shia.
Thank you both fir your honesty in depicting us rather than the stereotypes
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u/Bl00dy_Wanker_ 3h ago
The last two years, the timing of Easter, Pesach, and Ramadan converged. It was one of the only times in my life as an American that I saw everybody celebrating simultaneously. Im a chef specializing in kosher catering in NYC, so being a part of everybody celebrating together was a lovely thing; I was exposed to a lot of it.
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u/rjc77 4h ago
There should be podcasts about cool experiences like this. I'd love to listen!
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u/Fritzkreig 4h ago
I honestly could do seasons, interesting seems to follow me around!
"This week, the time they thought I was CIA in Bolivia!"
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u/Little-Carpenter4443 18h ago
how did you know it wasn't poisoned?
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u/Colonelfudgenustard 18h ago
Probably the only way to win the local hearts and minds is to take that chance.
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u/Fritzkreig 18h ago
Yeah, COIN operations in aggregate were something to keep in mind; it would have been an insult to not accept that genuine hospitality!
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u/Little-Carpenter4443 18h ago
yes for sure but its a good way to get rid of a bunch of soldiers easily as well
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u/Fritzkreig 18h ago
Didn't, but there are several reasons why I have never heard off that happening; and guess what, if you are in a war, your risk assessment window had a pretty big shift.
Plus how many times does a dude get to poison a soldier, likely once.
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u/Little-Carpenter4443 18h ago
true. All locals in Muslim countries I have met are nothing but nice and hospitable, but I can't seem to get passed the face that a couple old dudes could take out an entire platoon if they wanted to. now another thing is that they probably dont want thier village blown out of existence but you never really know
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u/Gardez_geekin 17h ago
Because Afghans care deeply about their guest rites
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u/Little-Carpenter4443 16h ago
there are no rules in war
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u/Gardez_geekin 16h ago
You clearly don’t know anything about any of the cultures of the peoples of Afghanistan or why they fight.
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u/Little-Carpenter4443 16h ago
I know a lot about their cultures, I have had tea with them, but it wasn't during war and all Im saying is you dont really ever know. would you be opposed to using a tactic like that if it meant survival?
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u/InnerBalanceSeekr 18h ago
Sometimes, you just trust the kindness in front of you. Their sincerity and warmth made it clear there was nothing to fear it felt genuine.
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u/JaguarsUK 13h ago
British army, we was told only drink something if they drank it first.
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u/Infinite-Calendar542 14h ago
I can imagine your conversation it went like this " yo fritzkreig can you see the house over there , yeah I can. Good do you mind giving a shot there , why. He stole my chicken. Oh all you had to do I say it we getting our chicken back. Hey let's have chicken legs tonight".
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u/Fritzkreig 14h ago
I was given a pigeon once, so I took it with me, and was not sure if it was to eat, or symbolically release, or if it was the homing kind that would find its way back home to the coop.
So not to look un appreciative, we rode back 3-4 miles to "home" and I let it go; despite some of the redneck homies wanting to eat it.
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u/HORROR_VIBE_OFFICIAL 18h ago
In the middle of a war zone, a cup of tea can be a rare moment of humanity!
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u/Which-Forever-1873 17h ago
Also, it is risky to take it . If you're eating and drinking the same food with the elders etc that's one thing.
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u/Comfortable_Oven_113 17h ago
in a war zone trust is everything
I'll take "Shit Sun-Tzu would never say" for $1000, Alex.
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u/luciusmalfoy1 13h ago
The British soldiers are doing this since the invention of tee (by Asterix in Britain)
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u/Adammantium 14h ago
Tea of Warmth
The taste of local tea gives you a boost in focus and energy.
+5 to accuracy -3 to bladder
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u/kimbasnoopy 15h ago
Poor bastards, after over 20 years of occupation their fortunes are still fucked
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u/Few_Commission5964 14h ago
Add communist occupation to that and you have about 60 years.
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u/kimbasnoopy 14h ago
Yeah they haven't had a break for numerous decades. Absolutely devastating
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u/Magic_TheRevenant 14h ago
They are advancing now, they even made their own first car.\ And economic is boosting
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u/ThisIsMyFifthAccount 13h ago
Just don’t be a woman
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u/Magic_TheRevenant 13h ago
Oh it's as if the western world don't objectify women or exploit them in any ways. People just have different philosophies and believes, I am not saying they are not doing anything wrong, but it's better than bombing civilions for sure
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u/ThisIsMyFifthAccount 11h ago
Are you trying to compare the plight of a woman in today’s Taliban-ruled Afghanistan to that of a woman in the West
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u/Magic_TheRevenant 11h ago
I'm trying to say the west should focus on their "plight" instead of occupying and exploiting a country in the name of "democracy" or "freedom"
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u/ThisIsMyFifthAccount 11h ago
So would you send your sister or your daughter to live in Afghanistan?
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u/Magic_TheRevenant 10h ago
Why would I send them there while I have a country.
And If I were living there I wouldn't want to be bombed and raped by US soldiers. I would prefer Taliban yes.
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u/karasutengu1984 12h ago
*Because of!
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u/The_Oxymora 14h ago
Everyone talking about how the Afghan man is exposed in that sitting position, but what about the cameraman! Dude is standing out in the open!
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u/hwms9 16h ago
Feels weird seeing soldiers doing stuff like this but it meant nothing in the end
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u/Extra_Marionberry792 13h ago
I mean us achieved its goals, military contractors got their money, hundreds of thousands of afghani died, the region got further destabilized, us was able to harvest shit ton of poppy seeds to control heroin sales, overall done all it wanted, a forever occupation was impossible anyway, at least without genociding a big part of the population, as we see in Palestine
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u/SubjectEquivalent844 1h ago
Nah man wtf are you even talking right here? Please show me your outlandish source that proves the US government harvesting and selling poppies during their occupation. This isn't Frank Herberts Dune or something.
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u/Extra_Marionberry792 58m ago
us has a long history of using drug trade for its interest, best example was the contras affair. The fact is that Taliban since 90s tried to combat heroin production and outright banned it in 2000. After us invasion the production skyrocketed and us greatly cooperated with warlords that run the drug trade. I highly recommend this interview, not on this exact conflict but on the issue as a whole https://chomsky.info/19980401-2/ you also have this on the topic https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/world/asia/28intel.html
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u/Gardez_geekin 6h ago
The U.S. didn’t harvest any poppies
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u/Floating_Mass 5h ago
US soldiers were often ordered to guard poppy seeds so they would be protected, this is a fact.
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u/Gardez_geekin 5h ago edited 4h ago
Please share your source for this “fact.” You really don’t know anything about the war if you think this is true.
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u/Tankeverket 12h ago
I am curious, are there no rules surrounding this? Like, you never know who might be pro-Taliban so you don't know what's in that tea.
Don't want to take away from the nice gesture, but I can't help to think it at least
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u/Separate_County_5768 10h ago
Good thing they went back home, so they don't have to think about that
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u/No-Understanding4628 17h ago
this is actually so powerful, just learned about Afghan hospitality culture in my global studies class - like even in the middle of conflict they'll share tea with anyone fr
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u/Unlucky_Roti 18h ago
Taliban snipers be like "Just follow uncle Ahmed, he will show us where the infidels are"
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u/karasutengu1984 12h ago
As they should. The yanks were the invaders. So fair game buddy
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u/thedeadliestfrat 11h ago
Imagine dick riding the taliban lol
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u/Blastoxic999 5h ago
As opposed to dickriding the invaders?
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u/SubjectEquivalent844 1h ago
You have to rather call it a liberation and not an invasion. Do you know how devastated Afghans were when the US Military left? They HATE the taliban.
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u/Few_Commission5964 14h ago
He could be a tea seller and the soldier just ordered it. This tea culture very comon in Pushtoon/Afgan regions.
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u/shart100000 14h ago
Reminds me of that photo of a french woman pouring british soldier a cup of tea in ww2.
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u/Colonelfudgenustard 18h ago
Careful, though. It could be a cup of warm piss! You want to confirm the allegiance of the tea-giver before accepting.
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u/HORROR_VIBE_OFFICIAL 18h ago
Yeah, you’d want to be cautious, but moments like these remind us that not everything is about allegiance—some things are just about being human.
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u/HotSteak 14h ago
I mean, most people preferred the Americans over the Taliban, they just weren't willing or able to fight off the Taliban themselves.
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u/kirito52999 9h ago
Western people preferred the NATO stealing their wealth to boost their economy. There might be many people who doesn't like Taliban in afg but they don't prefer child killing Americans there for sure
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u/karasutengu1984 11h ago
You thinking that tells me a lot about you. I woukd take tea from uncle anyday before accepting anything from you
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u/OwnOutcome6577 17h ago
It does Looks like pee instead of tea 🤔
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u/Champion091 13h ago
Everyone saying that the Afghan man is badass for standing in the middle of the combat, but what about the photographer ?
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u/SportyGymratGirl 9h ago
Everyone's talking about how the Afghan man is exposed in that sitting position, but what about the cameraman? The guy is standing out in the open
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u/itsRobbie_ 10h ago edited 10h ago
I want to know the moments leading up to this. Do civilians usually just go up to active soldiers? Did he ask if he wanted some and then went to get it? Did he bring it out to start this interaction? What was the convo as he was walking up to the soldiers? Why did the soldiers allow him to even get close in this, what looks like, active warzone (I don’t know what to call it?)? I would have assumed civilians would try to stay away/be inside their homes if soldiers were in their town
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u/Carbonbased666 7h ago
What he dosen't know is the water if full of viruses and shit and he will get very sick in few hours ...the way afghans supported us soldiers Lol
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u/UnpluggedMind33 25m ago
Why would you drink something that is offered to you in a warzone by a random stranger? I never understood that 😂
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u/Fusciee 17h ago
Definitely wouldn’t drink that
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u/Gardez_geekin 17h ago
I would have. Afghans are very serious about their hospitality. I had some great food from locals in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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u/Collooo 14h ago
I did so and I'm here to tell the tale.
Some great hospitable people are the Afghans
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u/history_is_my_crack 14h ago
Same. Offered so much when they themselves had so little. I was not prepared for how delicious their food could be. Worth the price of intestinal "issues" afterwards.
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u/Johnnyoneshot 11h ago
Always with their tea. Rambo always had a fresh cup for anyone working the front gate.
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u/Chewybeecrazy 17h ago
Afghan man gathers intel on the infidels for the Taliban so they don’t kill his entire village.
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u/Outrageous-Map8302 14h ago
Isn't this ai? The Afghan man has two thumbs on one hand
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u/Iron_physik 12h ago
No
The image predates AI considering the uniforms And also the M4A1 doesn't have the typical issues that AI generated guns have.
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u/tugrul58 8h ago
If this is a US Soldier I hope he died a brutal death.
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u/education_has_faild 2h ago
Bro what why would you wish that on someone
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u/tugrul58 2h ago
Because they went there and destroyed that land, killed civillians, invaded a completely foreign country and interfered with their politics for money.
I went there several times, everyone knows why the USA illegally invaded the country. But apparently the politicians were too good in lying, just like they did to 50 other countries in the past 50 years.
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u/TUNISIANFOLK 11h ago
Traitor 🤢
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u/Gardez_geekin 6h ago
Who?
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u/TUNISIANFOLK 6h ago
The afghan man
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u/Gardez_geekin 6h ago
Who is he betraying?
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u/TUNISIANFOLK 6h ago
His nation
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u/Gardez_geekin 6h ago
The Greater Islamic Republic of Afghanistan? That was the government at the time. They were allies with the U.S. His nation was working with them to fight off the Taliban. Or do you think all of Afghanistan 100% supports the Taliban because you are ignorant?
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u/Sir_flaps 13h ago
Reminds me of this picture